Contact Us if you would like to schedule an info session Q&A presentation on our sears redevelopment project.
List of community engagement:
- NAACP St. Paul (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
- Reconnect Rondo
- Frogtown Neighborhood Association
- AALC (African American Leadership Council)
- Metro Transit
- St. Paul Collage
- NDC (Neighborhood Development Center)
- HAP (Hmong American Partnership)
- Hmong Chamber of Commerce
- Black Chamber of Commerce
- Latino Chamber Of Commerce
- St. Paul Public School
- Capital Heights Block Club
- St. Paul City School
- Springboard for the Arts
- Summit University Planning Council
- Christ on Capitol Hill Lutheran Church
- City of St. Paul’s Planning and Economic Development
- Black Ministerial Alliance
- Yourthprise
- Fortis Capital
- Drake Bank
- Choice Bank
- Sunrise Bank
- Unique Outreach International Foundation
- local businesses & citizens
Nov. 9, 2023
sears redevelopment Project
Bi Weekly Zoom Info session
17 Participants
The meeting focused on community engagement and public feedback for the draft corridor plan and the G line project. Attendees introduced themselves and their organizations, which included representatives from small businesses, schools, and community organizations. John B Yang presented updates on the Sears Redevelopment Project, which aims to create a community hub and World Cultural Heritage corridor.
The project includes plans for an event center, food court, virtual reality theme park, wellness center, sports complex, and more. Yang emphasized the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the project and invited community members and organizations to get involved.
Yang also presented new site plans and project details for a development project that includes a hotel, retail and office space, parking garage, sports complex, and residential housing. The plans also include green spaces and pedestrian walkways, and the team is working on incorporating storm water filtration systems. The team is seeking feedback from the public and investors, and has created a Q&A and survey on their website for this purpose. Yang stressed the importance of community engagement for the project and encouraged interested parties to reach out to him for more information.
The meeting also discussed plans to provide affordable office space for non-profits and underserved communities, as well as a commercial kitchen for vendors to use. Yang discussed the plan to bring in different businesses and restaurants into the retail space and ensure a fair process for investment opportunities. The process may involve bidding or proposals, with extra points given to minorities.
The goal is to make the space affordable for all vendors and keep everyone updated on business opportunities. Yang also provided updates on plans for the Sears building, emphasizing the importance of keeping the building due to its historical significance and high cost of demolition.
Oct. 12, 2023
sears redevelopment Project
Bi Weekly Zoom Info session
Zoom meeting invite was sent to over 70+ people
Presented Power Point presentation.
Presented preliminary site plan.
Answer Q & A
Open Discussion
Oct. 26, 2023
sears redevelopment Project
Bi Weekly Zoom Info session
9 Particpants
John B Yang introduced himself and the Asian Business Resiliency Network as the lead for the Sears Redevelopment Project. The group discussed potential interest from NDC in bidding for the property and the need to create committees to help with the project. They also discussed the potential for collaboration with a local community college for the technology hub and the involvement of Springboard for the Arts in supporting local artists. John B Yang presented ideas for the redevelopment of the first and second floors of a building, as well as the Sears Auto building.
The group emphasized the importance of community engagement and the need for capacity building to achieve their ambitious goals for the project. John B Yang also presented updates on the Sears St. Paul Innovation Hub site plan, which includes a holistic healing center, community IT and business center, commercial kitchen, tech innovation sports performing arts charter school, indoor sports complex, housing, retail, and a hotel. The plan is designed to be inclusive of the surrounding community and will involve partnerships with other organizations.
Finally, John B Yang explained that the Zoom info session is open to the public and that they are trying to engage the community. They are hosting a bi-weekly session and have a lot of information on their website. They are also keeping track of who they engage with to show the capital that they have reached out to the community.
